


Choice To Protect

by Higuchimon



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Breeds AU, Diversity Writing Challenge, Firestarter Healer AU, M/M, One Ship Boot Camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24599347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: It’s wrong to bully anyone.  If Daisuke has to burn that knowledge into people, he will.  But Ken has other ideas.
Relationships: Ichijouji Ken/Motomiya Daisuke | Davis Motomiya
Kudos: 7
Collections: Daiken Week 2020





	Choice To Protect

**Title:** Choice To Protect  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Ship:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** One|| **Words:** 1,008|| **Total:** 1,008  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Ken x Daisuke: I44, romance genre; One Ship Boot Camp, Ken x Daisuke: #3, clip; DaiKen Week 2020, day #1, kindness/miracles  
 **Notes:** This is both a breeds AU & a Firestarter/Healer AU. It’s not connected (as far as I know) to Unholy Desires. The breeds aspect will come in later. Timeframe wise it’s about six months after the defeat of BelialVamdemon, so it’s coming into spring.  
 **Summary:** It’s wrong to bully anyone. If Daisuke has to burn that knowledge into people, he will. But Ken has other ideas.

* * *

Daisuke’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the scrape along Ken’s cheek. He rested his hand on it for a second, Ken automatically turning towards him, more than a little curious. 

“What happened?” Daisuke asked, a dark edge to his voice. Ken did not quite admit to how nice it sounded to hear that, on several different levels. Instead, he focused on the question itself. 

“It’s nothing important,” he said with a shake of his head. He wanted to pull away, but Daisuke’s hand thrummed warm and strong against him. Daisuke’s fires were always searing hot but gentled when it came to him. Ken didn’t think he deserved that, but Daisuke did it regardless. 

Daisuke, however, frowned at him. “What _happened_?” Of course Daisuke wasn’t going to let that drop. He never did. He worried at whatever interested him until it didn’t anymore. 

Ken managed to pull his head away from Daisuke’s touch. His heart beat a little faster just at how close they were. They really shouldn’t have been, his mind jabbered at him. He’d been the Kaiser, he’d hurt Daisuke – he’d hurt so many people but he’d targeted Daisuke for a while – he didn’t _deserve_ to have someone touch him so very kindly. He barely deserved Wormmon wanting to be his partner. 

“It looks like someone tried to hit you,” Daisuke said, virtually biting off each word. “Who was it?” 

“Daisuke, no!” Ken shook his head as hard as he could. “You’re not going to do anything to him!” 

Daisuke crossed his arms over his chest and stared harder at Ken. Ken flinched, eyes dropping. He hated saying anything that even vaguely sounded like an order. But Daisuke could do that to him, getting him to say and do things that he’d never thought he would or could. 

“Who was it?” Daisuke repeated. Ken knew he could keep denying, keep on pretending that it hadn’t happened. Only if he did, Daisuke would either keep at him about it or go to his school and start asking people there. 

“Uchiyama Hideyoshi,” Ken admitted. Daisuke frowned even harder. 

“The new soccer captain?” He wrinkled his nose at Ken’s nod. “What’s his problem?” 

Ken sighed, settling himself down on Daisuke’s bed. He’d wanted to go out and play a little soccer, just to get his mind off of problems, but now they were getting into this. He shouldn’t be that surprised. Daisuke never let up when it was something that concerned one of his friends. Somehow, Ken had made that list, and he didn’t understand how. 

Uchiyama had been his second in command when he’d been the soccer captain. When he’d moved to the Digital World, Uchiyama had ended up being named as “interim captain”, theoretically until Ken returned. Ken returned. Ken didn’t want to be on the soccer team anymore. 

He tried to explain that to Daisuke and with every word, Daisuke looked more and more irritated. Not quite to the point of little sparks flying up – which was a miracle in and of itself, because Daisuke sparked at any given opportunity – but definitely not happy. 

“He keeps telling me that I’m supposed to be on the team and I’m letting them all down,” Ken admitted, eyes downcast. He raised one hand to brush against the side of his face. “He apologized for this. Really.” 

“I don’t care.” Daisuke bit each word off with more savagery than a wolf. “He shouldn’t have touched you to start with. You said you didn’t want back on the team. He should take no for an answer.” 

Ken didn’t answer. He didn’t mention the other things that Uchiyama said – about how clearly Ken wasn’t suited to be captain if he could just give it up so easily, that he didn’t deserve a decent Firestarter, that all of his strategies were worthless, that he’d probably cheated on all of his prior exams to build up his reputation as a genius and had now been found out, and if a single plant actually liked him, Uchiyama didn’t know it and wouldn’t believe it. That was just the tip of the iceberg. 

All he managed to dredge up out of his throat right now was, “Don’t worry about it, Daisuke. Come on. Let’s go get some soccer in. That’s what I came here for, wasn’t it?” 

Daisuke didn’t look as if he were going to, until Ken brought his eyes up to meet him. Daisuke sighed almost at once, his eyes going all soft and gooey. Ken hated to think of how much he enjoyed that look. Not in the way he might have once upon a time, but because he loved seeing Daisuke so happy and soft. 

It wasn’t hard to put all of Uchiyama’s words out of his head and to forget about the scrape on his cheek, not when he had Daisuke there in all of his glorious energy, his flames rising bright and strong to wrap around Ken and support him as he faced the world. He’d had that support almost since the last of the Kaiser outfit faded away, he’d just not known it. 

Now that he did, he wasn’t going to do anything to lose it. Or to lose Daisuke. 

_How do I court him?_ They were right on the cusp of being old enough for legal courting. But how could he do it? He knew the usual things – having dinner together, a few gifts, just spending time together. It wasn’t unlike dating someone. 

The trouble with that was, Ken thought he wouldn’t mind dating Daisuke as well. While dating one’s Healer wasn’t unknown, it also wasn’t common. The common saying involved something to the effect of the Healer to Firestarter bond being forever, but dating could end. It wasn’t easy. 

But they were already Jogress partners and best friends. Surely this would just be another addition and they could handle it. 

At least, that was what Ken fondly and fiercely hoped. So as they headed outside, he started to wonder what a good first courting gift might be. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** As of August 5, 2020, this story is on indefinite hiatus. I intended to restart in September, but YGO GX Month came up and it gave me ideas. So, once that’s taken care of, I’ll return to my WIPs.


End file.
